Augustus gross



(No Mod-e1.) .2 Sheets-Sh'eefilf A. GROSS. PUMP FOR INPLATI-NG'PNEUMATIG TIRES. No. 603.634. Patented May 10,1898.

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A. GROSS.

PUMP FOR INFLATING PNEUMATIC TIRES.

No. 603,634. Patented May 10,1898.

' I l un Mic/55 fi g wzus G a tion detached from the vehicle.

UNITED STAT S.

PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS GROSS, OF SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH VALES.

PUMP FOR INFLATING PNEUMATIC TIRES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,634, dated May 10, 1898.

Application filed November 26,1897. Serial No. 659,918. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS GROSS, engineer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Sydney, in the Colony of New South Wales, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Automatic-Action Pumps for Inflating Pneumatic Tires of Cycles and other Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a novel device for automatically inflating pneumatic tires of all classes of vehicles; and it consists, essentially, of a stationary eccentric disk having a hubcavity secured to the axle and an eccentric ring placed around the said disk and connected to the piston of an air-pump attached to the valve and adapted to be operated by the rotation of the vehicle-wheel; but in order that this invention may be fully understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- I Figure l is a side elevation of this inven- Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail showing method of attaching the connecting-rod to the eccentric ring. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the eccentric disk and ring. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of dust-cap for pump-barrel. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of this invention attached to the pilot-wheel of a bicycle. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of dust-cap for exhaust-valve. Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation of exhaust-valve. Fig. 8 is a view of the valve-plug looking upward. Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation of the piston-head. Fig. 10 is a view of the pistonhead looking upward, showing valve. Fig. 11 is an elevation of the exhaust-valve attached to cycle-wheel and having the dustcap on. Fig. 12 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the exhaust-valve plug. Fig. 13 is an elevation of a key for removing or securing the exhaust-valve plug. Fig. 14 is acentral vertical sectional elevation of Fig. 3.

In all figures similar letters are used to denote similar parts.

A is an eccentric disk having aboss or proj ection B,in which the hub-cavity G is form ed. A smaller central boss D is formed on the outer face of B. Two half-rings E E are placed around the disk A and held in position by the screws F F, passed through the flanges G G. In the periphery of the disk A is formed central groove II to receive the tongue I of the a the pilot-wheel of a bicycle would be as fol-' half-rings E E. 'One of the half-rings E E is provided with a short pendent rod J, having a keyway K, adapted to receive the end L of the connecting-rod M. The cap N, threaded internally, screws onto the pendent rod J when the end L of the connecting-rod M is insertedinto the rod J, as shown in Fig. 1. The connecting-rod M is shown disconnected from the rod J in Fig. 2. The connecting-rod M has a double bend and the lower end 0 is flattened, so as to be received in the forked end P of the piston Q and held secure by the thumb-screw R.

S is the pump-barrel, provided with a small opening T, covered with the rubber band U to form a safety-valve against overinfiation.

The end of the pump S is screwed into the exhaust-valve casing V. The lower end of the exhaust-valve is attached to the tube W, provided in the tire. The exhaust-valve consists of the casing V, Fig. 7, into which is inserted the plug X. This plug is provided with a central air-passage Y, the lower end of which is covered with a strip of oiled silk or other suitable material that will withstand the required pressure. g is secured over the lower face of the plug X and fastened by a thread passed around the recess Z in the lower end of the plug. To remove the plug X, keyholes CL (1 are provided in the upper face to receive the keys I) b, so that by the handle 0 the plug may be unscrewed and removed. When the plug is inserted, the leather or other washer d is necessary to make the connection air-tight. A dust-cap e is provided for the exhaust-valve when the pump is disconnected.

. The valve in the piston-head f is constructed in a similar manner to that described above in the valve-plug X. The piston-head is provided with the air-passage h, which passes up through part of the piston Q and has an inletorifice at t.

k is the packing on the piston-head. v

Fig. 5 shows this invention attached to the pilot-wheel of a bicycle, the pump being ready for operation. When it is desirable to disconnect the pump it is unscrewed from the exhaust-valve and brought over against the front fork Z and held by a rubber band m. The pump in this position is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5.

The method of attaching this invention to This strip of oiled silk/ 8o lows: The front fork l would be disconnected on one side from the axle and the disk A would be passed in between the fork and the spokes, the hub passing into the hub-cavity O, the latter being sufticiently large to permit of the hub revolving therein. The axle is passed through the opening it and through the fork Z and then secured by the nut 0 in the usual manner. To keep the disk A stationary, a small stud 19 passes through the fork Z and into the opening 1" provided in the boss D. One end of the connecting-rod M is then attached to the pendant .I, as before described.

The other end is secured to the piston Q and the pump and valve secured in position. The device being now attached, as the wheel 5 revolves itwill cause through the intervention of the stationary disk A and the ring E the piston Q to operate and pump the air through the exhaust-valve, which in passing down the air-passage Y will force the oiled silk 9 downward and escape into the tire. The back pressure will cause the oiled silk 9 to close the air-passage Y until more air is forced in by the pump. The pump is supplied with air through the passage h on the outward movement of the piston. The inward movement of the same compresses the air in the pumpbarrel S, closes the valve in the piston-head, opens the valve in the plug X, and forces the air into the tire. To prevent the tire being overinfiated, the valve T is provided in the pump-barrel S, so that when the air-pressure in the tire is sufficient the back pressure on the valve in the plug X will keep the same closed. The compressed air would pass out of the pump through the valve T instead of into the tire, the pressure in the tire being regulated by the strength of the rubber band U. When the tire is sufficiently inflated, the pump-barrel is disconnected from the exhaust-valve and the dustecap e placed on the valve, the dust-cap if placed on the pumpbarrel and the pump brought into the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5 and held there by the rubber band m, as before described.

A modification may be made by permanently attaching the connecting-rod M to the piston Q, thus doing away with the thumbscrew R.

In the construction of my invention any suitable metal may be used, and the pump may be attached to any suitable exhaustvalve,

This invention may be applied to all classes of vehicles using pneumatic tires, and in the case of cycles the hub-cavity would be required ofa suitable size so as to freely admit the hub. It may also be applied to large vehicles, when all the parts would be constructed proportionately large. When so applied,

the eccentric portion of my device would be placed between the wheel and the body of the vehicle, and the opening 1?. would be of sufficient size to permit of the stationary axle passing through, and the disk secured to the shoulder of the said axle by passing one or more small bolts through the shoulder and the disk. This would be the method of at taching my invention to axles of the present day; but if axles were constructed specially such axles should be provided with a second shoulder having a left-handed thread or screw, and the opening n in the disk should be provided with a like thread, so that when the disk is screwed home it will not be liable to .be slackened by the rotation of the wheel.

The operation of the pump in the case of large vehicles would be precisely similar to that when used for cycles; but in all cases the disk must lieclose to the spokes of the wheel.

I am aware that other devices have been invented for automatically inflating pneumatic tires, and in some instances an eccentric motion has been used to actuate the pump-piston. I therefore do not claim the use of an eccentric broadly; but my invention lies in the simplicity of construction and ease of application, as my invention may be applied to any vehicle of the present day without alteration excepting the securing of the disk so as to maintain the same in a stationary position. It is not intended in the use of my invention that the pump shall be kept constantly at work, .but is only for use when it is required to inflate the tire. This may be done by either attaching the device and riding the cycle or propelling the vehicle along, so as to operate the pump and inflate the tire, or the cycle or vehicle may be supported and the wheel rotated to effect the same purpose.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. In an apparatus for automatically inflating tires the combination with the tire-tube, the valve-casing V connected with said tube and havingan open end, the tire-pump hav- I ing an open end adapted to be connected with the open end of the valve-casing, the pumppiston playing through the opposite end of said pump and means for reciprocating the pump-piston as the bicycle-wheel rotates, sub- 1 stantially as described.

2. In combination with the tire-tube, the valve-casing connected therewith, said casing having an enlarged open end, a pump having an open end threaded to engage the open end 1 of the valve-casing, the plug threaded into the valve-casing and having grooved lower edge and central passage, the flexible band extending across the passage and having its ends secured to said grooved edges and means I for operating the pump-piston as the wheel rotates, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

AUGUSTUS GROSS.

ICC 

